All Things Being Equal
by blackwolfmajik
Summary: Arcann's knows how a confrontation with the Outlander is supposed to go, but a decision throws things out of kilter. (Rating may go up!) Sith Sorcerer Inle'rah / Arcann Tirall


**All Things Being Equal**

**Rating:** T for mention of gruesome injury (just to be safe)

**AN: **For reference, Inlérah is a petite human (LS) Sith Sorcerer with black hair and gold eyes.

* * *

Sparks stung Arcann's exposed skin as he pressed down on his lightsaber, forcing the Outlander to shift her weight to keep balanced. The blended light from their locked blades reflected eerily in her gold eyes, but did nothing to diminish the firm set of her brow.

"You've _lost_, give up!" he growled at her from inches away.

"All this time and you still don't know me very well," Inlérah muttered in return.

The Star Fortress trembled like a dying beast, causing the narrow platform to sway dangerously under their feet. An explosion from deep within the structure sent a clear message that time was running out.

"I've almost got it!" called Lana Beniko. An instant later, a power surge through the console she was slicing caused it to explode in a cloud of burnt circuits and shrapnel. She was flung backward like a cloth doll, sending her tumbling to a stop at the edge of the catwalk, inches from a fatal drop to the station's reactor below.

Despite being in a fight for her own life, Inlé's attention snapped to her injured friend. The momentary distraction opened a hole in her defenses the emperor could exploit.

Arcann savored the feel of victory within his grasp: a flick of his wrist to free his blade from the Outlander's and her head would roll across the floor to join her 'sister' in a thousand meter freefall. After years of skirmishes back and forth with no clear winner, the war would be over and his dominance of the galaxy would be complete.

But the flash of genuine panic on Inlé's face as Beniko started to slip over the edge into oblivion made him pause.

The emperor had never seen the Outlander _afraid_ before. Even facing his father and the absolute certainty of her impending demise, Inlé had never shown anything other than fierce resolve.

But she was frightened now..._vulnerable, _and Arcann realized he didn't like it as much as he thought he would.

He did not like it at _all_.

Inlé needed all of her strength to keep the emperor at bay, but she still tried to reach out with the Force to save Lana.

It wasn't enough.

Beniko's limp body slid off of the platform, dragging a horrified cry from the Outlander with it.

_"Lana!"_

The emperor snarled and jerked his chin toward a pile of nearby wreckage. A length of durasteel rod shot out from the debris and pinned Beniko's shoulder to the bulkhead, stopping her fall with a sickening jerk.

When he looked back down at his opponent, the image of Inlé's wonder-struck face embedded itself in the core of his brain.

"You...You _saved_ her?" she whispered in shock.

"You were distracted," Arcann offered lamely, trying to stop his heart hammering. "I want to defeat you when you're at your best. There's...no challenge in it otherwise."

The strange feeling that had been growing in the pit of his stomach over the last year squirmed as she continued to stare at him.

"What?" he barked defensively.

The strength of Inlé's arm faded and Arcann had to pull back to keep from accidentally decapitating the Outlander with her own saber. His instincts were screaming, but he wouldn't dishonor himself by taking advantage of her obvious weakness.

That's all it was.

"Thank you..."

His mind went blank. He didn't know what to do.

Enemies didn't say _thank you_.

Enemies didn't..._look_ at him like they were seeing him for the first time.

"I did nothing but delay her death."

"Of course."

The station shuddered once more, giving Arcann something to focus on other than the increasingly awkward conversation. He stepped back, keeping his blade up in a defensive posture. "We will continue this fight another time."

"I'm sure we will..."

Not sure what else to say, the emperor gave the Inlé a curt nod and turned to leave.

"Arcann? Wait..."

He wanted to ignore her, desperate to escape before he made more of a fool of himself, but his body halted on its own. He would have been happier if it had been a trick of the Force, but apparently all the Outlander needed to do was _ask_.

Not trusting himself to speak, he simply turned to glance at the black-haired Sith.

She looked nervous, as if she was just as uncomfortable with what she was doing as much as he was.

"Don't...don't use your shuttle."

"What?"

"We saw it when we arrived on the station. Theron rigged it to explode if you managed to slip past us."

The emperor's scowl was thunderous.

"Sorry," she muttered apologetically. Raising her hand, she directed Arcann's attention down a corridor. "The station plans said there would be lifepods near the galley. Take this hallway to the end and make a left."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"You saved Lana, now I'm saving you. We're even."

"Even."

"Yeah, besides...if you die here then you can't fight me at my best. Right?"

He snorted, trying to tamp down on the thrum of anticipation in his veins. "Until next time then, Outlander."

"Until then, Emperor."

If he had detected a faint smile on her mouth, it was surely just his imagination.

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**AN:** Yay! another Inlé story! I've been enjoying fleshing her out since she is dear to my heart. I have so many ideas, they tend to run parallel or tangle up with themselves. It makes it confusing, so I wouldn't worry about trying to figure out where these fall in a consecutive timeline (there won't be one unless it's in a long multi-chapter fic or otherwise indicated as a series).

Thank you for reading! Please let me know what you think! It's a small thing to leave a review (constructive criticism is always welcome!) but it means so much more than you might think. Knowing people are reading gives us the courage to keep posting.


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